Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
However, dealer told me it would cost extra $600 or more if purchased later. I did not believe him but did not want to chance it. So I went for it.
I took the 72mo/90k mi $0 deductible GMPP plan for $1950 and they included 12mo/12k smart care (to cover first year of oil changes and tire rotation).
I probably could have gotten a better price if I had done my homework before I purchased the car.
They are the cheapest. The alternative is Black Auto in Pennsylvania http://www.gmoutlet.com/mgn_menu.htm
You have up until 12 months/12,000 miles to commit to the prices offered here. Once beyond that, the prices escalate
890.00 / 625.00
750.00 / 555.00
650.00 / 505.00
60 mo / 60,000 miles
1265.00 / 815.00
1050.00 / 705.00
880.00 / 620.00
60 mo / 75,000 miles
1415.00 / 965.00
1270.00 / 820.00
1060.00 / 710.00
60 mo / 90,000 miles
1800.00 / 1350.00
1570.00 / 1120.00
1400.00 / 950.00
60 mo / 100,000 miles
2050.00 / 1600.00
1765.00 / 1315.00
1550.00 / 1100.00
72 mo / 48,000 miles
1160.00 / 760.00
970.00 / 665.00
820.00 / 590.00
72 mo / 60,000 miles
1365.00 / 915.00
1210.00 / 785.00
1010.00 / 685.00
72 mo / 72,000 miles
1730.00 / 1280.00
1515.00 / 1065.00
1355.00 / 905.00
72 mo / 90,000 miles
2130.00 / 1680.00
1830.00 / 1380.00
1600.00 / 1150.00
72 mo / 100,000 miles
2350.00 / 1900.00
2000.00 / 1550.00
1735.00 / 1285.00
84 mo / 56,000 miles
1645.00 / 1195.00
1450.00 / 1000.00
1305.00 / 855.00
84 mo / 70,000 miles
2175.00 / 1725.00
1865.00 / 1415.00
1630.00 / 1180.00
84 mo / 84,000 miles
2775.00 / 2325.00
2330.00 / 1880.00
1995.00 / 1545.00
new car..less than 12/12k....read it as list and your costs..then top to bottom..0/100/200 deductible..price they quoted me today..
now for a maxx over 12/12k but less that 24K
48 mo / 60,000 miles
$1,540.00 / $1,090.00
$1,370.00 / $920.00
$1,230.00 / $795.00
48 mo / 72,000 miles
$1,870.00 / $1,420.00
$1,625.00 / $1,175.00
$1,445.00 / $995.00
60 mo / 40,000 miles
$1,305.00 / $855.00
$1,110.00 / $735.00
$940.00 / $650.00
60 mo / 50,000 miles
$1,485.00 / $1,035.00
$1,330.00 / $880.00
$1,160.00 / $760.00
60 mo / 60,000 miles
$1,920.00 / $1,470.00
$1,665.00 / $1,215.00
$1,475.00 / $1,025.00
60 mo / 75,000 miles
$2,315.00 / $1,865.00
$1,970.00 / $1,520.00
$1,715.00 / $1,265.00
72 mo / 48,000 miles
$1,945.00 / $1,495.00
$1,685.00 / $1,235.00
$1,490.00 / $1,040.00
72 mo / 60,000 miles
$2,695.00 / $2,245.00
$2,265.00 / $1,815.00
$1,950.00 / $1,500.00
72 mo / 72,000 miles
$3,250.00 / $2,800.00
$2,700.00 / $2,250.00
$2,285.00 / $1,835.00
84 mo / 56,000 miles
$2,275.00 / $1,825.00
$1,940.00 / $1,490.00
$1,695.00 / $1,245.00
84 mo / 70,000 miles
$3,325.00 / $2,875.00
$2,755.00 / $2,305.00
$2,330.00 / $1,880.00
e2helper: thanks again for the info on the lumbar support feature. I cranked mine all the way up, and love the extra support.
Salesperson called today - they are mailing the license plate to us and were going to cut me 2 more keys and mail those, too. At delivery, salesperson made it sound like the keys would be free. That was the case with the Kia Sedona we bought 3 years ago. Alas, not the case this time. According to the salesperson, the key is a 'Passkey' and therefore is expensive. He said their cost is $30.03 and his manager okayed them selling me the keys at cost. $30 apiece for spare keys is too rich for my blodd, so I passed.
Salesperson also said if any other key is put in the ignition, the vehicle will be immobilized for 15 minutes. I have not read up on these areas in the owners manual yet, so I don't know if that is all true.
By the way, I finally programmed the garage remote on the headliner the other day. Even cooler was that I was able to program one of the other two buttons to control the remote locks on my other car.
I would hate for you to buy a key that is for an older type of system that doesn't work with the 2004/5 Malibu
My understanding is 2005 added side air bags as an option, and for the LT a new rear deck spoiler and wiper (to clean up after the spoiler).
Any other changes?
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
2005 has new Dark Blue Metallic Exterior Color
Cloth heated seats available in 2005. You can now get heated seats on more than just uplevel vehicle.
Non-ABS vehicle might have rear Drum brakes in 2005 instead of disc in 2004
Rear Seat Audio option redesigned to have wireless headphones for 2005
Electronic Range Select feature of shifter works slightly different in 2005 (you can now upshift to "L4" - not sure why you would want to do this though)
Dealer now has Bulletin 04-06-04-080 available describing the new calibration for V6 engine. The bulletin just mentions improvements to idle when engine is warm and not that is had some modifications to shift operation. However "shifting fast enough" wasn't really what was addressed by calibration either so not sure if it will help what you are concerned about. The same electronic module controls both engine and transmission (FYI).
I think what Maxx4me was trying to remember was that this calibration "had diagnostic enhancements for DTC P0340" but I don't have any details on what that means.
The only other two areas I am curious about are the Bumpers (are pretty flimsy on 2004 I have) and side impact (a factory mod of some kind was made in Feb, I was told - don't know if it is retrofittable). Wonder if 2005 got stronger bumpers.
I guess I need to read the C&D article again to remind myself how well they described their beef but introducing the ability to "Tap" Up when in "L" to 4th gear (or Drive) may only lead to confusion by owner since this feature is not designed to be a "manualmatic" like you have on the Pontiac G6 GT. It was simply a means to allow the customer to select lower gears "manually" like you can on a vehicle that has a shifter than physically has 7 positions PRNDL21 instead of 5 on the Malibu PRNDL.
Can you manually shift into "D" on a 7 position PRNDL21 without putting the shifter into the "D" position? Of course not...that doesn't make sense.....
............EXACTLY!!!!
Reason the Malibu doesn't have those extra 2 positions? To give you more room for cupholder and console space while still giving you the ability to manually get to these lower gears for special driving situations.
OK enough ranting for now, thanks for listening
I will probably be in enough trouble for sharing that (LOL)
Many thanks,
Michiganmaxx
It is possible your dealer is working off a "local" copy of this database which they don't update often but if were truly accessing it via Internet through his dealer access it should have been visible.
BTW - Does your dealer hate me or does he appreciate the assitance I am trying to provide??
Anyways Bulletin starts out like this:
Rough Engine Idle when Hot (Reprogram PCM) #04-06-04-080 - (Nov 9, 2004)
Rough Engine Idle when Hot (Reprogram PCM)
2004 Chevrolet Malibu
with 3.5L LX9 (VIN 8 - RPO LX9)
Condition
Some customers may comment on a rough or unsteady idle when the vehicle is at full warmed to operating temperature.
Correction
New calibrations have been released to address this concern. Reprogram the PCM with the appropriate calibration or later as shown below..........
2) i read somewhere that the bumpers on the early 2004s were weak and that Chevrolet had upgraded them. does anyone know if this is true? if so, if i have the vin number for the car i'm thinking about buying, is it possible to tell whether this particular car has the upgraded bumpers?
thanks very much.
Others on this forum have same problem from day one. I remember one person here had this checked and their dealer had to turn the rotors to correct problem. I'm going in for service soon and will have this checked.
There was a recent post listing the changes for 2005 model. I don't think the bumpers were updated.
I as following a Buick Roadmaster on a local 4-lane highway at about 45 MPH. All of a sudden, the driver swerves to avoid something...I couldn't quite tell what. As there was traffic overtaking me in the left lane, I couldn't swerve so I had to jam on my brakes. Fortunately, it was just an empty plastic 22 gal. trash barrel, but I ended up whacking it at what must have been 20 mph or more. It scared the **** out of me, but fortunately there was no damage at all to the front bumper. It must have hit the license plate squarely. And I'm really thankful that the lady behind didn't rear end me. Whew!!!
Definitely not rust - something has too much runout. Get them to fix this. Can't help with bumpers except to note that any kind of whack is going to crack the covers requiring a fairly expensive cosmetic repair but they will maintain their structural integrity.
Thanks!
Kristen
The 2004 shifter without tap-up to 4th is annoying and inefficient, by having to constantly use the unintuitive manual console shifter AND the electronic button. Tap-up to 4th I'd like to have on my Maxx. If anyone figures out how to modify the 2004 shifter electronics to tap up to 4th, please post.
Heated cloth seats is another excellent feature - GM is improving this vehicle and is succeeding in producing a formidable competitor!
Depending on my driving situation I sometimes want to control shifting, including down-shifting for brake assist, holding a gear on hills or coming out of a turn, or holding third in city traffic. And sometimes manually shifting just for the enjoyment/control.
Two of my other cars are a '78 and '80 Z28 Camaro.
Peter-
The speed compensated volume feature on radio is adjustable between OFF, LO, MED, HI in case you didn't notice.
The front windshield wiper's intermittent setting is also vehicle speed dependent. Shorter delay at faster vehicle speed.
e2helper, you were right on my car's build date. The date you said was on a sticker on the original headliner. Thanks!
I also had a wheel center cap replaced due to the bowtie falling off and the rear hatch lubed to improve relatching halfway when opening and closing. Not sure this is really fixed though.
The gas tank is on backorder, I guess dealers everywhere are trying to get one?
The did tell me the brake pedal could not be adjusted for the cruise off even though I told them about the scan tool.
We had a new owners session yesterday and they used my car to illustrate. When they put it on the rack, I saw an oil leak. The parts man said it was the rear main seal and that was normal. But if it got worse, they would need to do something about it. I sure hate to have the motor pulled to fix this, but I guess it will have to be done.
On a final note, I am very thankful to have it back. It's worlds better than the 03 Malibu I used as a loaner.
I'm not sure if the link will work or not, but I'll post it anyways
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/041114/vehicles_whiplash_3.html
If the above link doesn't work, the same info should be available at http://www.iihs.org
Wrt manumatic, I've used it a bit myself and yes it would be nice if the 4th gear upshift could be retrofitted to the 2004, but it's certainly no reason to trade the maxx in if it's not possible.
.....you guys did a bang up job.
Peter-
...and Peter: don't say bang up anymore!!! he, he, he
Try the switch, you'll see what I mean.
What I've found out is that Wix was the only manufacturer that would give me specs. They tell me the bypass valve for your application is part of the engine not part of the filter. GM sets their valve at 4 psi. They go on to say that this shortens the life of the filter compared to other manufacturers who use a filter bypass set at 8-11 psi. Their tests show a PF47 will hold 4 grams of dirt and their equivalent 51040 holds 7 grams of dirt. They tell me the life of their filter will be 2500 - 7500 miles. Again, no way to know when the bypass valve will kick in, so 2500 to be conservative.
I've also found specs at Redline Oil who state mileages. Their conservative mileage is 7500 up to around 12000.
What are your thoughts and exactly what is the built in range of mileage on the monitor? And what sensors are put in the Maxx for this? I want to get the most miles out of my Maxx.
Thanks!
1. The Maxx has a built-in bypass valve and therefore, an owner should take care to ensure that the filters used on his/her Maxx does NOT have a bypass valve built into the filter
2. The Maxx will go into filter bypass mode sooner than other filters, since the valve is 'set' to 4 psi which is lower than many other vehicles/filters.
Did I understand that right?
We might get more feedback if this topic was posted in one of the oil-related forums on Town Hall.
(I'm on my 3rd GM vehicle with the Oil Life System, and so far have had excellent results just by using it. The first I had was my Trailblazer, which I used Mobil 1 oil in. At the last oil change the old oil still had a "honey" look to it after almost 9000 miles.)
the Maxx won out over the other three considerations. I have over 6,000 miles on my '04 Lt and I still have that grin on my face.
What does a set go for?